The Lawman's Surrender: The Calhoun Sisters, Book 2 (26 page)

“I didn’t kill Brick,” Susannah said, sitting up and holding the blanket to cover her nakedness. “How many times do I have to tell you that?”

Caldwell swung the gun around to Susannah. “You and I both know you were the only woman there that night, missy. So you keep your lies to yourself!”

“So what are you going to do with us now, Caldwell?” Jedidiah said, trying to redirect the man’s attention on to himself. “Shoot us and leave us at the side of the road?”

“It sure is a tempting thought, Marshal. Lord knows you’ve caused me no amount of trouble. But I want justice, not murder.”

“Justice would be letting a jury decide, not taking it upon yourself,” Jedidiah pointed out.

Caldwell shrugged. “I’m sorry, Marshal, but I have to do this. For my family.”

“You’ll have to go through me,” Jedidiah warned. “I’m not going to just let you take Susannah.”

“I’m real sorry to hear you say that, Marshal.
Real
sorry.”

“You don’t look sorry,” Susannah snapped. “You know, your brother told me all about you, Wayne. He said that you’re the family failure. Gambling debts, illegitimate children, drunken brawls. You’re an embarrassment to the Caldwell name.”

“Shut up, missy, or it’ll be a bullet in the head for you!”

“Is that what this is all about, Wayne?” Jedidiah asked. “Are you trying to prove you’re worth something to your family? Maybe make them forget about those gambling debts?”

“That’s not what this is about!” He glared at the both of them, his pudgy finger trembling on the trigger. “She’s supposed to hang for killing my brother, and nothing is going to stop me from seeing that happen!”

“Nothing but me,” Jedidiah said. He lunged at Caldwell.

Susannah cried out in alarm as Jedidiah tackled Caldwell around the legs. Both men went down, and the Colt flew out of Caldwell’s hand. Grasping the blanket around her body, Susannah scrambled for it.

Caldwell was big, but Jedidiah was fitter and more furious. Caldwell tried to get to his feet, kicking out at Jedidiah, who grabbed his leg and twisted it hard. Caldwell yelled in pain, and Jedidiah was on him, flattening the bigger man to the ground. He straddled Caldwell’s stomach before the man could get up and proceeded to pummel his face.

He only got in one or two good hits before Caldwell screamed and flung up his arms to protect his face. Jedidiah let out a snort of disgust and stood, looking down at his foe.

“Jedidiah!”

A gunshot sounded as Susannah yelled the warning, and pain seared through his arm. He jerked around to face a tall, dark-haired man coming out of the woods, the one who’d helped Caldwell try and hang Susannah. The man aimed his still-smoking pistol, sighting the middle of Jedidiah’s bare chest.

A second gunshot exploded, and the tall man went down like a felled tree, a look of surprise on his face.

Jedidiah looked at Susannah, who lowered the revolver as she exhaled with relief.

“I thought you said you couldn’t shoot?”

“I can’t. I was aiming for the tree to his right.” A scowl crossed her face as she looked beyond him, and she pointed the gun at Caldwell, who was attempting to crawl away. “Of course, I can’t possibly miss at this range.”

Jedidiah frowned and limped over to Caldwell, grabbing the burly fellow by the collar of his fine blue coat with his good hand. “I’d listen to her if I were you,” he advised. “She might aim for your leg and hit your head.”

“Jedidiah, you’re hurt!” Susannah exclaimed as she caught sight of his bleeding arm.

“I’ve had worse. Get me the handcuffs out of my saddle bags.” Susannah rummaged in the bags and came up with the handcuffs. She handed them to Jedidiah, who snapped the metal bracelets on Caldwell, wincing as the movement hurt his arm. Then he gave Caldwell’s arm a jerk that sent the man stumbling toward the remains of the campfire. “Let’s break camp and get this fellow to the sheriff.”

“What about the other one?” Susannah cast a glance at the motionless body of the tall man.

“We can drag the body with us on a litter. Or we can send someone back out for him.”

“All right.”

Jedidiah went over to his horse and took down a length of rope, which he tied to Caldwell’s handcuffs. The big blowhard was bleeding from his nose and looked as if he had a split lip.

“You’ll regret this, Marshal,” Caldwell hissed as Jedidiah knotted the other end of the rope to his saddlehorn. “I’ll have your badge for this.”

“More likely you’ll have a nice long stay in the jail.” Jedidiah jerked the rope too quickly and winced.

“Jedidiah Brown, you sit down right now and let me tend to that!” Susannah ordered.

He sent her an exasperated look. “I can handle it. It’s nothing.”

Offended, Susannah made a sound of disgust. “Fine. Be the big, strong man. But, Jedidiah?”

“What?”

“Before you ride into town, you might want to put on your pants.” Still clad in the blanket, she sailed past him, scooped up her own clothes and disappeared into the bushes to change.

Jedidiah glanced down at his naked body. “Aw, hell.”

With a scowl toward the bushes where Susannah had disappeared, he stalked to the saddlebags. His arm was still bleeding, and he had just thought of at least one good use for those pesky drawers of hers.

Chapter Eighteen

“I can’t believe you used my underwear for a bandage!”

“I couldn’t think of a better use for it.” His arm in a sling, Jedidiah stepped out of Doc Benson’s clinic in the small, lively town of Benediction.

“You claim to be a gentleman, Jedidiah Brown, but if you ask me, I think you’re the worst kind of rogue.”

He flashed her a quick grin. “Now, Susannah, my mama would roll over in her grave if she heard you say that.”

She snorted as they headed down the street. “Your mama is probably hale and hearty back there in Charleston.”

His expression sobered. “Actually, she died some years ago. In the war.”

Immediately, Susannah felt contrite. “I’m so sorry, Jedidiah. I didn’t know.”

“It’s all right. It was a long time ago.”

The tone of his voice indicated that it
wasn’t
all right, but Susannah didn’t want to probe farther. Though she did want to know more about him and his past, this was their last evening together, and she didn’t want to waste the precious time on unhappy memories.

“What do you say we get a room in the hotel,” Jedidiah suggested, changing the subject. “You can take one of those baths you’re so fond of. I heard there’s a social over at the church tonight, and I thought you might like to go.”

She smiled up at him, pushing away the feelings of dread that tomorrow would bring. “That sounds wonderful.”

It had been a long time since Susannah had been dancing.

They had eaten supper at the hotel, where the dining room lived up to its excellent reputation. For the first time in days, Susannah felt more like her old self, dressed in her pink dimity dress with ribbons in her freshly washed hair. Jedidiah had bathed and shaved and dressed in a clean white shirt, black tie, and brown pants, looking dashing despite—or perhaps because of—the sling on his arm. The twin Colt army revolvers he wore only enhanced the image.

The people of Benediction were friendly and a bit curious, reminding her of her hometown of Burr in Wyoming Territory. There were the usual stares from the men, but for once Susannah had no wish to play to the crowd. She only had eyes for Jedidiah.

It was delightful to attend a function with a man and not have to worry about him stealing a kiss or staring at her bosom during a conversation. She didn’t have to concern herself about him trying to get her alone. She could smile at people and not think about that smile being misinterpreted as an invitation.

For the first time, she didn’t have to play the charming diplomat to keep men from coming to blows over her. She could simply be with Jedidiah, smile at Jedidiah and bask in the love she felt for Jedidiah, without the onerous task of being the belle of the ball.

Jedidiah was doing enough glaring for both of them, she thought with a giggle as he sent a warning glance to a young pup who was staring open-mouthed at her. Her admirer was so startled that he jerked backwards and ended up with his elbow in the punch bowl. One of the matrons started scolding him and swatting him away.

“Would you dance with me, Susannah?” Jedidiah asked.

She smiled up at him, so in love she felt as if she could dance on air if he asked it. “I’d love to.”

The musicians were playing a waltz. Jedidiah led her out on to the floor and guided her hands to his shoulders. He placed his good hand at her waist, and despite his wounded arm, swept her into a skillful step that surprised a delighted laugh from her.

If only they could stay this way forever, she thought wistfully.

Jedidiah gazed down into Susannah’s eyes and felt something stirring inside him that had been asleep for a very long time. He couldn’t believe this beautiful woman was his, if only for tonight. Masculine pride rose up, fierce and strong. Every other man at the social had been staring at her, but she was there with
him
, Jedidiah Brown. He didn’t even think she had noticed the two fellows who had gotten into a fistfight over what shade of blonde her hair was. Her eyes had never left him, and her smile spoke of intimate secrets only the two of them shared.

An elderly couple danced past them, the silver-haired lady smiling adoringly into the face of the wizened, balding man who held her in his frail arms. Their steps matched perfectly, no doubt from years of dancing together, of anticipating each other’s moods and thoughts. Of finishing each other’s sentences.

Susannah matched his moves as if she were a part of him, as if she had been created to fit into his arms and into his life. He could so easily envision the two of them fifty years from now, white-haired and feeble, partners in love and in life.

He should marry her.

The thought stunned him. Marry her? Where had that come from?

Their time together might end only hours from now. Anything could happen once Susannah arrived in Denver. How could he possibly ask her to marry him when her future was so uncertain?

How could he not?

The notion left him dazed, and he missed a step. Susannah gave him an inquiring glance, but he just smiled reassuringly—although his insides were tied up in knots—and stepped back into the rhythm. His heart was pounding so hard he was amazed she couldn’t hear it.

How could he ask her to marry him? How could he promise her forever, when forever might only be a day?

This was their last night together. Tomorrow when they arrived in Denver, he would have to turn Susannah over to the local officials and then stand and watch as she went through the ordeal of a murder trial.

Tonight was all they had, and he had no intention of wasting it.

“Let’s go,” he murmured.

The night had taken on a magical quality, as if time stood still and anything could happen. Susannah hummed a waltz as she preceded Jedidiah into their hotel room, then with a laugh, did a little twirl and dropped into a chair.

“What a wonderful idea it was to go to the social! Thank you for thinking of it.”

“I thought you might enjoy it.” He closed the door and locked it, then turned to face her, a half-smile on his lips. “You looked wonderful. I was the envy of every man there.”

“It was so nice to attend something like that without having to fight off a bunch of suitors.” She sent him a flirtatious smile. “All of them were too afraid of my dangerous-looking escort.”

“It’s my job to protect you.” He shed his guns, then tugged at the tie he had donned for the occasion.

Her smile faded. “Is that all it was, Jedidiah? Your job?”

He swore softly, startling her. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“What did you mean?”

“Don’t push me, Susannah,” he warned with a scowl, tossing his tie onto the bureau.

Slowly she rose to her feet. “Actually, Jedidiah, I would really like to know. I would
really
like to know,” she repeated more loudly, “if the man I chose to give myself to considers me nothing more than just another job.”

“Will you keep your voice down?” he snapped. “I told you that wasn’t what I meant. Damn it, can’t you see I’m no good with words?”

Both his uncharacteristic cursing and the frustration in his voice cut through her anger, and she took a deep, calming breath. “I’ve never known you not to say exactly what you mean, Jedidiah. Now please answer my question. Has this meant nothing to you?”

“Of course it’s meant something!” He jerked open the buttons of his shirt, emotion darkening his sherry brown eyes. “You got to me, Susannah. Is that what you wanted to hear? Well, there it is. You got to me. Are you happy now?’

His voice cut like a lash across her heart. “I never asked you for anything, Jedidiah. I knew you couldn’t make any promises when we started this.”

“Every woman wants promises.”

“I’m not
every woman
!” She took a deep breath that just barely avoided being a sob. “I can’t make any promises, either. How can a woman accused of murder even think of having a future?”